Sanford Middle School's seventh graders had a powerful and meaningful learning experience when they connected via Zoom with Ruth Wade, the daughter of Holocaust survivor Sydney Finkel.
During the hour-long session on Wednesday, March 4, Ms. Wade shared her father's remarkable story of survival. From his childhood in Poland when Germany invaded, through the horrors of the concentration camps, to his eventual liberation.
Students watched a documentary video featuring Mr. Finkel telling his story in his own words, and then had the opportunity to speak directly with Ms. Wade in a live question-and-answer discussion.
What made the experience especially impactful was the conversation that followed the video. Ms. Wade guided students to reflect on the many individual choices — large and small — that shaped her father's survival: the family members who protected him, the strangers who took great personal risks to help, and even the simple acts of kindness that helped sustain him through unimaginable hardship.
Students engaged thoughtfully, identifying specific moments from the video and connecting them to a broader message about the choices we all make in our daily lives.